Seth Jones Traded To The Panthers For Huge Return

Good morning Chicago fans! I’m sure some of you enjoyed the Oscars last night. Personally, I would rather watch anything else. Give me an Arturas Karnisovas press conference, a Blackhawks vs. Sharks matchup, or a bunting drill at Spring Training.

The real award should go to Kyle Davidson. Seth Jones is gone, and the return was impressive. I hope Davidson got this type of reception from his colleagues:

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CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

L - Hockey Club 2, Blackhawks 1

Puck possession nightmare in another pathetic effort

• Utah controlled the entire game and had 93 (!!!) shot attempts while the Hawks only had 39

• An overworked Arvid Soderblom kept them alive until a Lawson Crouse 3rd period backhand goal gave Utah the lead

L - Golden Knights 7, Blackhawks 5

Touchdown Raiders! Or, uh, Golden Knights

• A goal 66 seconds into the game, sparked by a TJ Brodie turnover, started a 5-1 1st period for Vegas

• Petr Mrazek was pulled after the 1st, and Soderblom held his own as the Hawks clawed back

• Connor Murphy was everywhere! 3 assists, +3 rating, and some huge hits

• Ethan Del Mastro scored his first NHL goal!

W - Blackhawks 6, Ducks 3

Dominant showing in the 1st game of the post Seth Jones era!

• 2 power play goals (without Jones at the point) and a balanced scoring attack ended the Hawks’ 5-game losing streak

• Wyatt Kaiser scored in his return to the NHL, and Teuvo Teravainen (1g/2a) and Ryan Donato (2g/1a) each had 3 points

Star of the Week ⭐ Ryan Donato

The surprise season continues! 2 goals, 3 assists (5 points) this week

Play of the Week 🎥 Ryan Donato goal

🚨 Traded Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers 🚨

Blackhawks receive: G Spencer Knight, 2026 1st round pick

Panthers receive: Seth Jones, 2026 4th round pick

Blackhawks retain: $2.5M/year for the remainder of Seth Jones’ contract

WOW! Kyle Davidson with the heist!

Even after Seth Jones’ public trade request a week ago, I did not expect the Blackhawks to find a willing trade partner. His contract is a massive commitment, and the length of the contract may have been a more challenging restraint than the overall money due to the increasing salary cap.

It felt like a move that would be made because of two things: Jones wanted out, and the Hawks wanted to dump his contract.

Instead, the Panthers emerged as the contender who actually WANTED Jones and valued him as a player for the next 5 years. Big contracts usually get moved for negative value, but the defending champs went all in to acquire someone they must really believe in as they attempt to win more Cups.

Acquiring a 1st round pick AND a very good young player at a position of need feels like wizardry in this situation. Spencer Knight is a 23-year old 2019 1st round pick who has star upside as a franchise goalie. He impressed in his 23 games this season (2.40 GAA).

There must be some doubts regarding Drew Commesso and Adam Gajan as the top two goalie prospects in the organization. Now they have another shot at the position with a young goalie who is already NHL-ready. Now I’m curious if Petr Mrazek or Laurent Brossoit will be shipped out this week to clear out the logjam…

The Hawks now have 5 1st round picks and 7 2nd round picks over the next 3 years. They are STOCKED and ready to add to their elite prospect pool. I assume some of those picks will be used to acquire NHL talent.

Even though it’s better for this team to no longer be tied to Seth Jones, he is actually a good player. He received too much hate during his time in Chicago. There were legitimate struggles in his first season as he transitioned to a new place, but he improved after that bump in the road.

As the poster child for the Stan Bowman era carryovers and the overpaid underachievers on a terrible team, he was always viewed with a condescending eye. The criticism was too exaggerated. He quarterbacked the power play, logged insane minutes (24-26 TOI per game), and solidified their operation in all phases. I hope he thrives in Florida!

Recalled Colton Dach, Andreas Athanasiou, and Wyatt Kaiser from the AHL, sent Nolan Allan to the AHL

NHL Trade Deadline ➡ This Friday, March 7th! Will there be more fireworks? Will Ryan Donato be moved out? Will Pat Maroon, Craig Smith, Lukas Reichel, Connor Murphy, or another dark horse trade candidate earn the Hawks more draft capital?

SCHEDULE 📅 M/W/F/SAT

CHICAGO BULLS

W - Bulls 142, 76ers 110

Complete dominance in the Play-In standings battle

• Bulls had their highest scoring 1st quarter (39p), 1st half (75p), and game (142p) of the season and shot 50.6%/45.0%/94.4% from the field

• Kevin Huerter started and had his best game as a Bull (23p, 7/11 3PT)

• Josh Giddey recorded his 3rd straight 20-point double-double (25p/16r)

L - Clippers 122, Bulls 117

Baby Bulls run toe-to-toe with the Clips

• Harden (30p/6a) hit the dagger 3 after an evenly matched game

• Zach Collins had a coming out party for the Bulls with 21p/17r

• Bulls only attempted 11 free throws after a 34/36 showing from the line vs. Philly

W - Bulls 125, Raptors 115 (OT)

Sub Zero Coby White ❄🥶

• Coby hit a game-tying 3 and free throw to cap off a 16-point comeback and send the game to OT

• Bulls started OT on a 10-2 run behind 2 Lonzo Ball 3s!

• Career-high 40 minutes played for Collins (15p/13r, +28 rating)

L - Pacers 127, Bulls 112

Shorthanded Bulls outlasted in the 2nd half

• Dalen Terry got the start with Ayo, Lonzo, and Huerter all out with injuries

• Aaron Nesmith scored a career-high 27 points to lead the Pacers

• Bulls only attempted 33 3PT shots and had a tough night (30.3%)

Star of the Week ⭐ Josh Giddey

20.7p/9.2a/10.2r per game, 3 double-doubles

Play of the Week 🎥 Coby White game-tying 4-point play

Ayo Dosunmu will have surgery on his left shoulder and will miss the remainder of the season. He’s been fun to watch and will be missed as the barren roster continues its trek towards the Play-In Tournament. Ayo only played in 46 games and his 3PT shooting regressed (32.8%), but he had a nice season! He’s a very reliable defensive guard with a good feel for the court. I’m excited to see how he develops next year.

SCHEDULE 📅 T/TH/SAT

CHICAGO BEARS

OFFSEASON

Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson met the media at the NFL Combine

• Ben Johnson has a presence. He’s confident, hilarious, and more articulate than his predecessors

• They both discussed the obvious need for interior offensive line help and the plausibility of adding multiple starters in free agency. The center position was highlighted as an important component of Caleb Williams’ development.

• Johnson raved about his coaching staff! He talked up each one individually and made it clear that he didn’t only hire coaches based on previous friendships. He wanted coaches who could serve a particular purpose on the staff.

• Kyler Gordon may be the next man up for a contract extension 💲

The NFLPA Report Card, ranking all 32 NFL teams, was released based on player polls. The Bears ranked 14th in the NFL, and their lowest ranking was for…the head coach (32nd). Good work, Flus 👋

Treatment of Facilities: C+ (19th)

Food/Dining Area: C+ (22nd)

Nutritionist/Dietician: B (19th)

Locker Room: A- (8th)

Training Room: B+ (11th)

Training Staff: B (17th)

Weight Room: A (6th)

Strength Coaches: B+ (20th)

Team Travel: B (19th)

Head Coach: C (32nd)

Ownership: A- (13th)

Potential free agent target G Trey Smith was franchise tagged by the Kansas City Chiefs 🙄 I wrote about why the Bears needed to sign him a few weeks ago (🔗 Ben Johnson Hired As The Next Bears Head Coach). Unfortunately, the Chiefs prioritized Smith and will work their salary cap around him. Now the Bears have to move their sights to other interior linemen on the free agent market…Drew Dalman? Mekhi Becton?

If anything, the Bears have OBSESSIVE football lovers running the show right now: Ben Johnson said, on Pardon My Take, that he watches tape for 40 hours a week, and Caleb Williams texted Ben Johnson throughout the Super Bowl asking football questions 👀

CHICAGO CUBS

OFFSEASON

Spring Training

• The Cubs FINALLY lost a game yesterday - they are 8-1-3 🤯

• The entire squad is hitting well. Some notable players with an OPS above 1.000: Michael Busch, Miguel Amaya, PCA, Ian Happ, Ben Cowles, Vidal Brujan, and Gage Workman

• Sammy Sosa joined the team as a guest instructor!!! Seeing Sosa teach Cubs prospects in the Arizona sun is everything my little kid heart could have dreamed of after he was away from the organization for 21 long years. Brujan even hit a no-doubt homer right after talking to Sosa in the dugout!

Nico Hoerner will NOT travel to Japan for the opening series vs. the Dodgers. He will remain in Arizona to prepare for a potential return from injury in the late March “opening” series. Only missing 2 games would be even better than earlier predictions!

Matt Shaw returned from injury and played 3B yesterday!

Javier Assad will throw bullpens at the end of the week and will officially miss the beginning of the regular season

After much deliberation and maneuvering, here is my preferred lineup this season:

SAY WHAT?

A CITYWIDE SALUTE

Coby White

Ladies and gentlemen, your new Bulls closer.

After hitting the big shot against the Raptors and scoring 15 points in the 4th quarter, Coby confirmed his place as the go-to crunch time scorer. With DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine in Sacramento, Coby will be relied upon in the big moments.

Instead of hyping himself up, he gave the credit to all of his teammates, past and present, as he celebrated the win. DeMar and Zach imparted their wisdom to Coby over the years about the required mentality to make shots late in the game.

“Shoutout the whole squad!”

MILD TAKE

The Bears don’t HAVE to draft more than 1 lineman in the first 2 rounds.

O-Line and D-Line are the Bears’ biggest needs this offseason. Everyone knows it.

Ryan Poles knows it. Ben Johnson knows it. Season ticket holders know it. You know it. Your mother who has never watched a Bears game in her life knows it.

So why not go with all of the Madden GMs in the world and solidify the trenches with every single pick in the upcoming draft?

1) There are legitimate starting options available in free agency, and the Bears have money to spend.

Current O-Line: Jones/OPEN/OPEN/OPEN/Wright

Current D-Line: Sweat/Dexter/Billings/OPEN

Even with potential depth pieces returning, 4 starting spots need to be filled in the next few months. I have no doubt they plan to attack the free agent market to fill at least 3 of those spots so they can head into the draft with less obvious holes on the roster.

2) GMs draft best available *on their board. Position need is a factor, but it doesn’t dictate an entire draft strategy.

Ignoring certain positions for multiple years is a recipe for disaster. Ryan Poles has been fairly balanced in his first 3 drafts and has actually selected 11 linemen with his 26 picks (2022: 5, 2023: 4, 2024: 2).

Championship teams like the Chiefs still need to build through the draft. 5-win teams like the Bears especially need to build through the draft. WR, RB, TE, CB, S could all be addressed in the first 2 rounds as Poles tries to get this team off the floor.

HITTING THE LINKS

Brad Biggs - 10 thoughts from the NFL combine (Chicago Tribune)

Maddie Lee - Cubs' Matt Shaw makes 2025 Cactus League debut (Chicago Sun-Times)

Sahadev Sharma - Cubs’ Ben Brown, healthy and throwing, is looking to build off his impressive 2024 (The Athletic)

Ben Pope - Can Landon Slaggert become another Brandon Hagel for the Blackhawks? (Chicago Sun-Times)

Chicago Cubs - All Access | Sammy Sosa Returns (YouTube)

Stacey King’s Gimme The Hot Sauce Podcast - Arturas Karnisovas interview (YouTube)

TWO MINUTE WARNING

Thanks for reading! I hope you don’t have to throw away another Blackhawks jersey with more trades potentially coming up. Have a great week!